Editing Cherub (section)

== In Islam ==
[[File:The four supporters (angels) of the celestial throne Wellcome L0030654.jpg|thumb|The four supporters (angels) of the celestial throne in Islamic arts]]

Al-Karubiyyin,<ref>Moojan Momen. ''Studies in Honor of the Late Hasan M. Balyuzi,'' Kalimat Press 1988, {{ISBN|978-0-933-77072-0}}. p. 83.</ref> according to the Quran, are identified as a class of ''al-muqarrabin'',<ref>Gallorini, Louise. THE SYMBOLIC FUNCTION OF ANGELS IN THE QURʾĀN AND SUFI LITERATURE. Diss. 2021. p. 125.</ref> and are a class of angels near the presence of God. They are entrusted with praising God and interceding for humans.<ref name=Schöck1996>{{cite journal |last1=Schöck |first1=Cornelia |title=Die Träger des Gottesthrones in Koranauslegung und islamischer Überlieferung |journal=Die Welt des Orients |year=1996 |volume=27 |pages=104–132 |jstor=25683589 }}</ref> They are usually identified either with a class of angels separate or include various angels absorbed in the presence of God: the canonical four Islamic archangels [[Gabriel in Islam|Jibra'il]], [[Michael (archangel)|Mika'il]], [[Azrael|Azra'el]], and [[Israfil]], the actual cherubim and the [[Bearers of the Throne]].<ref>Wensinck, A. J. (2013). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 200.</ref> They are frequently mentioned in the [[Isra' and Mi'raj#Ibn ʿAbbas Primitive Version|ibn Abbas version of Muhammad's Night Journey]].<ref>Colby, Frederick S. Narrating Muḥammad's night journey: tracing the development of the Ibn ʿAbbās ascension discourse. State University of New York Press, 2008. p. 36</ref>

Some scholars had a more precise approach: [[ibn Kathir]] distinguishes between the angels of the throne and the cherubim.<ref name=Schöck1996/> In a 13th–14th-century work called "Book of the Wonders of Creation and the peculiarities of Existing Things", the cherubim belong to an order below the Bearers of the Throne, who in turn are identified with [[seraph]]im instead.<ref>Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York, Komaroff, L.; Carboni, S. (2002). The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353. Vereinigtes Königreich: Metropolitan Museum of Art.</ref> [[Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi]] places the cherubim as the highest angels only next to the Bearers of the Throne.<ref name=Schöck1996/> Similarly, [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] distinguishes between the angels carrying the throne (seraphim) and the angels around the throne (cherubim).<ref>Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm’da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009).
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The [[Quran]] mentions the ''Muqarrabin'' in [[An-Nisa]] verse 172, angels who worship God and are not proud. Further, cherubim appear in [[Isra and Miraj|Miraj literature]]<ref name="State University of New York Press">{{cite book|last1=Colby|first1=Frederick S|title=Narrating Muhammad's Night Journey: Tracing the Development of the Ibn 'Abbas Ascension Discourse|date=2008|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7518-8|page=33}}</ref> and the ''[[Qisas al-Anbiya]]''.<ref>Heribert Busse. ''Islamische Erzählungen von Propheten und Gottesmännern: Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʼ oder ʻArāʼis al-maǧālis''. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006 {{ISBN|9783447052665}} p. 34 (in German).</ref> The cherubim around the throne are continuously praising God with the ''[[tasbih]]'': "Glory to God!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/cherub|title=Cherub &#124; Definition & Facts &#124; Britannica|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=13 October 2023 }}</ref> They are described as bright as no one of the lower angels can envision them.<ref>Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Volume 1. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. p. 32.</ref> Cherubim as angels of mercy, created by the tears of Michael, are not identified with the angels in God's presence, but of lower rank. They too, request God to pardon humans.<ref>{{cite book | last=Qāḍī | first=ʻAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Aḥmad | title=Islamic book of the dead : a collection of Hadiths on the Fire & the Garden | publisher=Diwan Press | publication-place=Norwich, Norfolk | date=1977 | isbn=0-9504446-2-6 | oclc=13426566}}</ref>{{rp|pages=33–34}} In contrast to the messenger angels, the cherubim (and seraphim) always remain in the presence of God.<ref name=Schöck1996/> If they stop praising God, they fall.

The [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shi'a]] scholar [[Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi]] narrates about a [[fallen angel#Islam|fallen cherub]] encountered by [[Muhammad]] in the form of a snake. The snake tells him that he did not perform [[dhikr]] (remembrance of God) for a moment so God was angry with him and cast him down to earth in the form of a snake. Then Muhammad went to [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hasan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn]]. Together they interceded ([[tawassul]]) for the angel and God restored him to his angelic form.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ahlulbait.one – Ahlulbait.one |url=https://www.ahlulbait.one/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |language=de-DE}}</ref> A similar story appears in Tabari's ''Bishara''. An angel called ''Futrus'', described as an "angel-cherub" (''malak al-karubiyyin''), was sent by God, but since the angel failed to complete his task in time, God broke one of his wings. Muhammad interceded for the cherub, and God forgave the fallen angel, whereupon he became the guardian for [[Imam Husayn Shrine|Hussain's grave]].<ref>Kohlberg, E. (2020). In Praise of the Few. Studies in Shiʿi Thought and History. Niederlande: Brill. p. 390.</ref>